Lacking Inspiration?

I’ve been writing this blog for nearly two years now and it’s been quite a journey. I started off with long chunks of poetic prose and then decided that being funny was more fun (and brought in more readers). I went with that for awhile but I wans’t feeling fulfilled. I was sure I could be getting more out of my blogging experience. I did a lot of householdy/organizing type stuff. Lots of before and after pictures and glowing reports of my success. Again, nice, but not quite substantial enough. From there I entered the realm of Self-Improvement. I started writing brutally honest posts about my experiences, fears, weaknesses, joys, and goals. I delved deeply into who I am, who I want to be, etc…That? Has been very satisfying. Troubling though. Very troubling.

I sat down to write the other day and I was stumped. Not by a lack of subject matter, my mind is always whirring away…but by a lack of “meaningful” subject matter. I think I’ve managed to snub myself. Give myself the exquisitely quirked eyebrow and accompanying disdainful look.

That, Kim? You want to blog about that? That’s not nearly good enough. Really, you’ve done so much better. Put the keyboard down now…that’s right. Better to scoot off and mull things over a bit more. Come up with something brilliant and then we can think about blogging again.

I’m a snob, apparently. But the only person my snobbery is aimed at is myself. It seems so ridiculous now I come to put it into words, but it seems that I’m not good enough for me.

I think I might just have to write a post about rubber chickens or duct tape sculptures or something to get the silly back, you know?

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24 Comments

  1. Heffalump

    How about Rubber Chickens incorporated into a stunning Duct Tape Sculpture?
    I have a nothing to blog about thing going on here. Nothing interesting. Sometimes I just blog something anyway, and usually someone will still comment…

    Posted May 19, 2008 at 6:08 am | Permalink
  2. Carolyn

    Or, you could just write about clean decks and Camembert cheese. That one got me 9 comments. Seems my readers will fall for anything.

    It certainly takes the pressure off!

    Posted May 19, 2008 at 9:17 am | Permalink
  3. Carolyn

    Phew… I quickly ran over to my blog to make sure you weren’t one of my readers who ‘fell’ for such a lame post. I mean, come on people! Decks and Cheese? Thank heavens you didn’t comment on that one because that would have been pretty embarrassing.

    Anyway, my point is who gives a rat’s a** what you write. Just write. I’ll stop worrying about being brilliant all the time if you will. Deal?

    Posted May 19, 2008 at 9:20 am | Permalink
  4. Summer

    Well apparently I’m snubbing myself as well. If I’m writing less it’s because I don’t think my writing is ‘good enough’.

    Posted May 19, 2008 at 11:16 am | Permalink
  5. Annette Lyon

    What you’ve got going is the mental “censor” talking in your ear. Shut him up, and fast! The censor can kill all kinds of creativity. (Read some Julia Cameron–she’s got great Censor busters.)

    Posted May 19, 2008 at 12:21 pm | Permalink
  6. Leendaluu

    Worms and ants…there is good blog fodder there!

    Posted May 19, 2008 at 1:34 pm | Permalink
  7. JustRandi

    Eh, we love ya no matter what you write!

    Posted May 19, 2008 at 1:34 pm | Permalink
  8. Jan

    Laughing at Carolyns comment.

    We always have lull times. I find that a blessing sometimes. My mind is in a slow mode and I can always appreciate that.. You are great and just don’t worry about it. You have enough bugs to fight off right now.. :)

    Posted May 19, 2008 at 2:03 pm | Permalink
  9. Dedee

    I think a detailed description of the bug fight is in order–as someone else mentioned.

    I should post my sisters pyromaniac cockroach stories some time.

    Posted May 19, 2008 at 2:21 pm | Permalink
  10. Melissa

    Wait? Are we supposed to be brilliant all the time? Because right now I have a post about urinating for human rights… and… um… not really that brilliant.
    I agree with the others. I just like it when you write :)

    Posted May 19, 2008 at 2:32 pm | Permalink
  11. Jo Beaufoix

    Oooooh, I love all the facets of you. Write them all. Rubber Chickens with duct tape sandals would be fabulous, but anything will do ok? xx And two years, wow, I am 1 on Wednesday, but you’ve been going for two years, fantastic.

    Posted May 19, 2008 at 7:49 pm | Permalink
  12. charrette

    Anne LaMotte has a great chapter about that inner critic in her essays on writing called _Bird by Bird_. She calls it Radio KFKD (foul, I know, but so true) and talks about how important it is to TURN IT OFF.

    Your readers love you. On silly days, quirky days, introspective days, beautiful prosaic days. Even “nothing” days.

    And somehow in the mix of all of that the real Kim emerges.

    Posted May 19, 2008 at 8:25 pm | Permalink
  13. An Ordinary Mom

    I say write whatever and whenever you want to, that will be the real Kim!

    Posted May 19, 2008 at 10:50 pm | Permalink
  14. Sue

    You can’t be profound seven days a week. Heck, I have a hard time being profound once or twice a month, and whenever I try to be deep if I’m not feeling it, it ends up sounding forced and bleck.

    Duct tape is good.

    Posted May 19, 2008 at 11:06 pm | Permalink
  15. Fooferoo

    Just write, it seems to be working so far doesn’t it? Also some pictures of the ants seems to bring out the comments, it was probably my only blog post that got more than 3 comments :)

    Posted May 19, 2008 at 11:31 pm | Permalink
  16. Jaina

    How about duct tape rubber chickens? I hear they make for quite interesting posts. Though honestly, I love your blog, and would read it if you wrote about silly things, or wrote prose, or anything. Write what you feel, write for YOU. :)

    Posted May 20, 2008 at 12:08 am | Permalink
  17. J. Anthony Holloway

    Why write about rubber chickens when you can write about rubber duckies?

    Posted May 20, 2008 at 2:02 am | Permalink
  18. Amber

    I have two favorite duct tape quotes- both from my father (although I’m not claiming them as his origional thoughts).

    “Duct tape is like the force, there is a dark side and a light side and it holds the universe together.”

    also

    “If it should move and it doesn’t used WD40- if it shouldn’t move and it does use Duct Tape.”

    Posted May 20, 2008 at 4:10 am | Permalink
  19. ElizabethSheryl

    Oh, I so know how you feel! I reaaalllly want to delete my latest SOS post because it’s a) anticlimactic and 2) not as good as other ones I’ve read. Which, is silly because it is a blog, not a competition and I’m constantly nagging myself about what I write not being good enough. Yet, the more a person writes the better they become.Silly silly.

    I love reading about whatever is on your mind, silly, sad, informative, angry, whatever. Its just always great to get a little piece of Kim, ya know? *hugs*

    Posted May 20, 2008 at 8:50 am | Permalink
  20. holly

    i *always* wake up in the morning and go “what did i do *that* for”!

    but i *always* love what you do.

    you know i wonder what kind of an ant solution duct tape would be. would the duct tape structures lord over the ants? would the ants just pick up the duct tape and run? who knows?

    only the rubber chicken.

    Posted May 20, 2008 at 9:01 am | Permalink
  21. Memarie Lane

    I highly recommend joining StumbleUpon and installing the Firefox toolbar (you do use Firefox, right???). Any time I’m lacking inspiration I can just sit there and hit the Stumble button, it’s like brainstorming without the brain. :P

    Posted May 20, 2008 at 2:36 pm | Permalink
  22. Chrissy Johnson

    The beauty of the blog is that it is yours…to do with it what you will. Forget about lots of readers, if you’re not in love with your words, none of that matters. Don’t sweat it sista.

    Posted May 20, 2008 at 3:07 pm | Permalink
  23. Julie Wright

    I have duct taped scriptures!!! And I’m missing two pages in 2nd nephi (i lovingly call them my lost truth) I’d get new scriptures but this set and I go way back and i’m a security blanket kinda girl. And for the record, I wrote about ticks yesterday. Anything you write would beat that for brilliance. You are always brilliant.

    Posted May 20, 2008 at 4:44 pm | Permalink
  24. Ms.L

    I half struggle and have half resolved this issue on my own spot.
    I tend to flip flop you see;p
    lol
    Now I just write whatever pops into my head,scary indeed!

    Posted May 20, 2008 at 7:37 pm | Permalink

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